


Trust and Betrayal

by LadyCrimsonAndBlack



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BAMF Pepper Potts, BAMF Tony Stark, Civil War Team Iron Man, Gen, News Media, Not A Fix-It, Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-30 04:11:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12100446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyCrimsonAndBlack/pseuds/LadyCrimsonAndBlack
Summary: People who betray Tony Stark tend to end up dead. Steve Rogers gets off easy.(Or: Nick Fury deals with the aftermath of the Civil War. It involves lots of paperwork, media and Pepper Potts being scary enough to give even him a pause.)





	Trust and Betrayal

**Author's Note:**

> All of my knowledge about the US justice system comes from the Suits and Law & Order. Forgive me if there are any mistakes.

There are few important facts that Nick Fury knows about Tony Stark.

  1. Fact: The Ten Rings kidnapped him and tried to break him, made him feel helpless, and killed his one and only friend in that desert.



         Result: The Ten Rings burned.

  1. Fact: Obadiah Stane betrayed him, played him and almost killed Pepper Potts.



         Result: Obadiah Stane died.

  1. Fact: Ivan Vanko tried to humiliate him, destroy everything he had worked for and kill him.



         Result: Ivan Vanko died.

  1. Fact: Justin Hammer tried to discredit him, humiliate him and destroy his company.



         Result: Justin Hammer is incarcerated.

  1. Fact: Aldrich Killian tried to kill him and succeeded in harming Pepper Potts.



         Result: Aldrich Killian died.

It does not take a goddamn genius to realize that Stark’s enemies have a habit of ending up either dead or in prison.

Mostly dead. And Stark always walks away smelling like roses, and if that doesn’t send a worrying message about the genius’ influence nothing else does.

Here’s what else Nick Fury knows: Steve Rogers betrayed Stark like no one else but Stane had managed before.

And, somehow, it all ended up on his desk for him to deal with.

 _Goddamn_ Avengers.

 

…

 

The thing is, Nick respects Stark.

He’s sure that nobody else besides the man himself and Coulson knows this – and Potts perhaps, because she _is_ scarily perceptive – and he has no intention of letting it become a public knowledge.

Still, he _does_ respect him and has a healthy wariness about the man’s ability to play people like puppets when it suits him and so he is not terribly surprised when Stark manages to spin the latest disaster in a way that makes him the hero of the day.

Never mind that he is, in fact, a hero. The media has never really concerned itself with truth when Stark was the person in question and the man himself mostly let them write whatever the hell they wanted. Nick suspects that the stories and interviews and the stupid questions bore the inventor to death so he does not even try.

Apparently, he only needs the right motivation.

Fuck.

 

…

 

 _“Doctor Stark, are you implying that_ Captain America _has broken countless laws, killed the members of law enforcement and endangered civilians to protect a legendary HYDRA assassin?”_

 _“I am_ saying _that when Steve Roger looks at the Winter Soldier he does not see a wanted criminal. He sees Bucky Barnes, his best friend since childhood who could not have possibly done all those terrible things. I’m sure that in his mind he had done the right thing by protecting his friend, but I think that we can all agree that he certainly didn’t go about it the right way.”_

_“And you are saying that Bucky Barnes was the reason for the so-called Civil War. Doesn’t Steve Rogers still claim that he was only fighting against the injustice of the Sokovia Accords?”_

_“Christine, I’m going to tell you a little secret. Rogers did not even read the Accords.”_

_“Excuse me?”_

_“Yes, my reaction too. In fact, he did not even know about them until Secretary Ross and yours truly brought them to his attention. He was provided with a few pages long summary that he’d skimmed over – and I should know, I was there – and promptly declared that the safest hands are our own.”_

_“That is… Well, I did not expect that.”_

_“Right? You would think that he would at least_ try _to find out what he was fighting against. And if you want even more proof, I’m just going to mention the fact that Rogers did not involve himself in the Accords business until Barnes was accused of the Vienna bombing.”_

_“But there is evidence that James Barnes is innocent of bombing.”_

_“And we did not have it at the time. All of us – including myself – thought he was guilty and sent the appropriate personnel to apprehend him. And if Rogers had wanted to prove his friend’s innocence, he should have gone through the official channels. Collapsing a tunnel in Bucharest was_ not _a correct response.”_

_“Some may argue that the unlawful imprisonment of Clint Barton, Sam Wilson and Wanda Maximoff proved his point about corruption of the Accords Council.”_

_“Well, then I would argue that the action was not sanctioned by the Council and was, in fact, done by the order of Secretary Ross, who is, incidentally, going to answer for his actions in front of the court. That only proves that there may be some corrupted individuals behind the Accords – as there are everywhere else really – but that those individuals_ will _face the consequences of their actions.”_

…

 

It takes Potts three days to find out that Nick is the sorry bastard stuck with this clusterfuck, doing his best to make sure it won’t make life more difficult for what is left of the SHIELD.

She visits him.

By now, Nick’s not even surprised that she knows he’s alive.

She comes in, dressed in a demure white suit and killer heels, a file in her hand and a sharp smile that tries to pass as polite on her face.

“I thought that I should inform you that SI decided to sue Steve Rogers for assault on Mr. Stark,” she says, right from the start.

“Goddamit,” Nick says hotly. That means even more paperwork for him. He is kind of regretting giving Coulson the title of the Director. Sure, the man has to deal with the politicians, but Nick has to deal with _Stark_. They both know which one is worse for his blood pressure. “You know it’ll never stick. Stark threw the first punch.” Nick has seen the footage.

There is nothing kind in Potts’ smile. Nick abruptly remembers Stane and Killian. Stark may have been the one to gun for their deaths, but Potts was the one to pull the trigger. “And the correct approach to an emotionally distressed person is to calm them down, not to punch back and escalate the situation.”

“Really?” he says, throwing her a dubious look. “That’s what you’re going with?”

“We have very capable lawyers, Agent Fury,” she says. “This is only a courtesy visit. I recommend not interfering with the suit. Tony doesn’t want me to destroy SHIELD just yet. He says you can be useful.”

And, with one last polite little smile, she leaves.

Nick also kind of regrets that Stark found her before SHIELD could.

She and Coulson would have been a terrifying team.

 

…

 

_“What do you say about the claims that you unlawfully detained Wanda Maximoff, Doctor Stark?”_

_“I did not detain her. I told her she should stay within the Compound since the people were angry about her actions in Lagos. Yeah, I could have worded it better, but the fact was, she was untrained. If she was faced with an angry mob, I’m pretty sure she would have attacked, and even I could not have helped her after that.”_

_“Are you saying that an untrained superhuman was allowed to go on Avenger’s missions?”_

_“Yeah, unfortunately. Rhodes, Romanoff and I tried to bring it up with Rogers a few times, but he always brushed us off. I don’t think he saw a problem in bringing someone with uncontrolled powers to the mission as long as he was sure they could protect themselves.”_

 

…

 

Stark looks better than Nick expected.

Considering the genius’ usual ways of coping with emotional trauma, Nick thought he would be already half-way to drunk and make no effort in hiding it. Tired – both emotionally and physically – drained and vulnerable.

Stark does not even have shadows under his eyes from not sleeping and Nick can’t detect any make-up at all.

Stark’s coping.

That’s new.

Stark looks up from his StarkPad and feigns surprise. Nick has no doubt that he knew he would have a guest even before the former Director entered the Tower. “Dread Pirate Rodgers! I see that the reports of your death have been greatly exaggerated! Does anyone in your shady government organization ever stays six feet under?”

Nick scowls. “Stark,” he nods, because that is the only politeness he will offer the man. “I’m not here to talk about my unfortunate demise.”

“Well then, Nicky, tell me why are you here,” Stark says, beckoning to him with a flourishing gesture. He manages to sound both dismissive and slightly interested and Nick is willing to bet his retirement fund that the scientist knows exactly why he’s here.

“Rogers,” Nick grits out through clenched teeth.

“I thought that might be it,” Stark sighs. “Go on, tell me what I’m doing wrong now.” He sounds bored.

“Are you going to have him killed?” Nick remembers his little list and thinks that it’s a very reasonable question. Stark may have once seen Rogers as his friend, but then again, he had once seen Stane as his second father.

Stark does not look morally offended. In fact, his grin turns distinctly shark-like. “Oh, no. We’ll need him still.”

“Why the hell do you need him?” Nick asks. He’s never pegged Stark as a masochist.

“Oh, _I_ don’t need him. The world does,” he says and seems completely unbothered by Nick’s best glare.

“Explain,” Nick barks, stepping closer.

Stark stiffens slightly, but waits just long enough to make it clear that he’s not answering Nick’s command. He’s just deciding to grace Nick with an answer. “I keep telling all of you. There’s an army coming for Earth and we need to be ready.”

Nick rolls his eyes. “You’re being paranoid. There’s no way you can know that, Stark. You have no proof and no way of getting it.”

 _Now_ , Stark looks offended. “Excuse you, but which one of us flew a nuke in space and actually _saw_ that army. _Me_? Well then, we should listen to me, shouldn’t we, Cyclops?” If Nick glared any harder, Stark would have burned on the spot. “And when the big, bad and ugly army comes, it would be nice to have a super soldier or two on our side.”

“Rogers won’t sign the Accords. And he’s no use to you in jail.”

Something dark peeks from Stark’s eyes and Nick can’t help but remember the beginnings of Iron Man’s career when everyone was half-afraid that the billionaire was going to turn to the life of villainy. “Oh, when I’m done with him, he won’t have a choice.”

 

…

 

**_Captain America: A Supervillain?_ **

_Blasphemy, isn’t it?_

_I’m sure that many of my readers are ready to crucify me merely for writing that title. Captain America is a hero. Captain America is an icon, a true paragon of virtue and honesty that every US soldier tries to become. He is an inspiration for many a young and helpless boy, hoping to join the illustrious ranks of the greatest military in the world by being brave enough to lie on their forms. He is a beacon of hope to the marginalized, to the forgotten and abandoned, a savior that has always fought for justice and for the small people. He is everything a US citizen should strive to be, a loyal patriot and a defender of the innocent._

_Captain America is a farce._

_Let’s start with his military career. Ever since the unimaginable disaster that was the so-called Civil War, we can see people – experts, both military and civilian alike – pointing out his loyal service, his fight against the Nazis, his undeniable sacrifice in saving New York from the Red Skull. They claim that surely such a great tactical mind must have some reason for breaking so many laws, for killing people. Surely, the Star Spangled Man with a Plan has, you know, an actual plan._

_I’m not so sure._

_I’ll start with the illegal applications. Steve Rogers before the serum was sickly. Asthmatic. Prone to choking fits that were known to take him out of commission for the whole day. And yet, he was stubborn enough to apply for the army_ five _times and refused to be cowed by constant rejections._

_Admirable, right?_

_Not so. Imagine this. Young Steve Rogers gets in the army. He goes to Europe, or Japan, and fights on the battlefield. There’s rain, there’s mud, there’s smoke and dust and not enough food and people trying to kill him and his comrades dying all around him._

_Tell me, don’t you think that his sickness would have acted up?_

_In the middle of the battle such a distraction could have easily been fatal both for Steve Rogers and the soldiers in his squad._

_But he didn’t think of that, did he? No. Steve Rogers wanted to_ fight bullies _._

_One has to wonder about his priorities._

_And we shouldn’t forget to mention his archenemy, the Red Skull himself. Johann Schmidt was a genius-level Nazi scientist and the ultimate head of HYDRA. He was_ the _sinister figure and the main target of the SSR, the precursor of SHIELD, and the man that openly opposed Captain America. He was also the first test subject of the Super Soldier Serum and a firm believer in the fact that he was the one that knew what was best for the world._

_Am I the only one seeing the parallels, people?_

_Steve Rogers of the 40s was known to disobey orders. He tried to enlist illegally multiple times despite the dangers he would have been putting his comrades in. He endangered hundreds of POWs to save his one and only best friend (sounds familiar?) against the orders. He was raised to the status of the Captain and led his own, illegal team even though he did not go through officer training._

_And Steve Rogers of the present_ killed _multiple civilians and law enforcement officers, caused millions of material damage, ignored the wishes of more than_ hundred _of sovereign states._

_And all that to save one friend that is, incidentally, an actual assassin._

_Steve Rogers still claims he fights for the innocent._

That _is a man that we, as a nation, willingly and gladly entrusted our lives to._

_A truly chilling thought, isn’t it?_

 

…

 

Nick senses her before she gets a drop on him.

“You know,” he starts, thoughtful. “I’ve always thought you’re smarter than this.”

A shift of cloth behind his back, a deep, soulful sigh that is all theatre, and Romanoff appears beside him, taking the seat on the bench.

She inclines her head.

Nick continues on, musing, as if he were talking to himself. “Rogers, I can understand. He didn’t know Stark before all this hero business, so he doesn’t understand how dangerous that man is. Wilson and Barton too, I kind of get. They’re followers. They don’t like to think for themselves. Maximoff hates Stark, so of course she’s going to jump on ‘let’s make his life difficult’ bandwagon.” He eyes her from the corner of his one good eye. There is a frown tugging at her lips. “But you… Well, you’re not stupid. And you have a knack for siding with the winning side. So what went wrong?”

“I made a mistake,” she says, voice steady. “Stark has a habit of allowing the world to crucify him without reason. Steve has a habit of never having to face the consequences of his actions.”

Nick snorts. “Of course he has,” he says, derisively. “SHIELD always cleaned up his messes. And when it fell, Stark continued the job.”

She nods in agreement.

They sit in silence for a moment before Nick speaks again. “Why are you here then?”

“Stark leaked the footage from the Siberia on the internet. They’re going to crucify _Steve_ now.”

Nick smirks. “There’s no proof that Stark was the one to leak it.”

Now it is Romanoff’s turn to snort. “Who else? If he didn’t want it up there, nobody would even know the footage existed.”

True enough, Nick is willing to admit. “So you’re picking the winning side.”

“Steve’s done. Stark won’t take me back. You might.”

Nick thinks the suggestion through for one long moment. She seems relaxed, but that frown deepened slightly and there is a tenseness to her shoulders that she can’t quite hide from his experienced eye. He nods. “We could use you.”

Her shoulders relax. Still, she hesitates to leave. “And Clint?”

“Barton’s not here, is he?” Nick says. “But then again, he’s only guilty for Leipzig. If he and Lang turn themselves in and cooperate, I’m sure we could make some kind of a deal.”

Romanoff understands her orders. She nods.

 

…

 

_“The date of the trial of Clint Barton and Scott Lang is still undecided, but the public widely believes that the ex-superheroes will be able to get favorable deals for their whole-hearted cooperation with the authorities…”_

…

 

_“King T’Challa of Wakanda faces the possibility of losing his throne for his illegal helping and abetting of the criminal part of the Avengers…”_

…

 

_“In light of recent revelations about Ultron, there are rumors that the Sokovian government is considering revoking Wanda Maximoff’s citizenship…”_

…

 

_“Early this morning, Germany has officially issued arrest warrants for Steve Rogers, James Barnes, Samuel Wilson and Wanda Maximoff for the destruction of Leipzig airport. It is likely that Romania, Nigeria and Russia are soon to follow, and an anonymous source from the US government revealed that it is possible that Captain America is going to lose his famous title soon. As a private citizen, Steve Rogers is looking at a lengthy prison sentence for his crimes if he is ever caught. If you have any information about their whereabouts, do not engage, but call the authorities. They are highly dangerous and likely armed…”_


End file.
